Friday, March 28, 2014

It all began with an invite to partake in a challenge. The deal -- to go through an 8-course Black Angus Beef tasting challenge and emerge victorious at the end. Can I do it? Putting my hesitations and questions aside, I went forward with a bold (and hungry) spirit. Such a difficult feat but a girl's go to do what a girl's got to do. I promise not to let you all down.

So there we were at Azur in Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, ready for the challenge to start. Out came the first round -- the Alaskan Snow Crab Leg. It's a beauty, if I must say so myself. It was just the perfect starter to cleanse our palate as we swooned upon enjoying the fresh beyond fresh flavor which further enticed our taste buds for the rounds to follow. With our bare hands, we ripped the shell open and enjoyed the delicious sweet crab meat inside.

We passed the first round with flying colors yet the challenge continued to progress with the second round -- Sesame Black Angus Beef Salad with Red Radish. With the fats trimmed off after the meat was perfectly seared and tossed with sesame sauce with red radish, lotus root and edamame. I'm pretty sure this will get you to eat your veggies...lots of it!

Moving on, challenge #3 presented a huge plate of savory Wok-Fried Black Angus Short Ribs with Black Pepper. Fork-tender beef which was covered with Azur's homemade black pepper sauce. At this point, you'll want to pour a generous serving of sauce over fluffy white rice to complete your experience. I enjoyed this very much as I love how the Angus Short Ribs falls off the bone and it instantly melts in my mouth. Yum!

Ready for the 4th round and out came the Braised Beef Cheek with Root Vegetables. The chewy beef cheek which has a jelly-like consistency may not sit well for some but I enjoyed it very much. However, I opted to skip all the root vegetables as I'm just not a fan.

3 Black Angus dishes and to elevate the excitement to greater heights, we had The Paella. Huge prawns and mussels cooked with Bahia rice. Quite different from the Spanish Paella that I used to have in Manila as this one was served in a ceramic bowl instead of a llanera and sadly there was not a single layer of soccarat which I love. *sniffle*

All my sadness over the non-existent Paella soccarat immediately vanished the moment I laid my eyes on the 6th dish, Grilled Black Angus Beef Steak with Forest Mushroom Ragout. This has everything I love on a plate of juicy Angus Beef Steak! Assorted mix of mushrooms that brings out the umami flavor that goes so well with the meaty steak.

Trust Azur to keep the excitement high with the 7th dish -- Truffle Gnocchi with Parmesan Cheese. Just when I've fallen in love 6th times over with every single dish, I can't help but swoon after every bite of the pillowy soft gnocchi that's cooked with black truffle paste sauce and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. The aroma was heavenly and the taste was truly memorable. This was my favorite dish for the night and till this day it has been part of my daydreams too. I really have to go back SOON.

Our dinner ended with a wide spread of Mini French Pastries which the Chef has prepared just for us. It was truly a feast not only gastronomically but visually as well.

With that, I have reached the end of the challenge. Feeling victorious I left Azur with a happy satisfied smile on my face. What an amazing challenge that was and it's something I don't mind doing over and over again. Finally, my chance is here at all these dishes will be part of the dinner buffet spread starting tomorrow, 29 March until 6 April 2014. For only S$68++ you get to enjoy all these mouthwatering Black Angus dishes and more!

*photo credit: Paul Ang

See you at Azur located at the 2nd level of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (75 Airport Boulevard, Singapore). Call them at 6823-5354 for reservations.